Arkansas governor signs revised religious objections billLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed a revised version of a religious objections bill that supporters say addresses concerns that the original proposal sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians. Hutchinson signed the new bill Thursday moments after it was given final approval by the state House. The law prohibits state and local government from infringing on someone's religious beliefs without a compelling...

World's Oldest PersonLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas woman who became the world's oldest person Wednesday wants President Barack Obama to attend her 117th birthday party this Fourth of July. At 116, Gertrude Weaver was already the oldest person in America. With the death of 117-year-old Misao Okawa in Japan, Weaver became the world's oldest person, according to the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, which tracks supercentenarians. The Guinness Book...

Arkansas high court creates separate gay marriage caseLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court could avoid having to resolve the sex-marriage debate after justices decided a separate case is needed before they can hear it — a move that will likely push the consideration until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the same topic. The state Supreme Court on Thursday ruled a new case is needed to decide whether Justice Rhonda Wood, who was sworn in in January, after the other justices hea...

Senate approves updated religious-objections billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given initial approval to a new version of a religious-objections bill after Gov. Asa Hutchinson asked for changes in the wake of a growing backlash from critics who called the measure anti-gay. The proposal approved by the Senate on a 26-6 vote Wednesday bars state and local government from infringing on someone's religious beliefs without a compelling interest. A day earlier, lawmakers sent a simila...

Senate endorses proposal to restart executionsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A bill to restart executions in Arkansas after nearly a decade without them has cleared the Senate and is headed to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Senators voted 25-4 Wednesday evening to allow the Department of Corrections to use a combination of three drugs for lethal injections in addition to the existing method of a single barbiturate. The agency would also be barred from releasing who makes or supplies the drugs. Proponents say t...

Lawmakers give final OK to $5.2B budget billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to a nearly $5.2 billion budget that boosts money for public schools, Medicaid and prisons while cutting most other state agencies' funding by 1 percent. The House on Wednesday approved by an 82-1 vote the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, which sets spending priorities based on expected revenue. The Senate approved an identical version of the measure by a 29-4 vote. The proposa...

Reworked publicity rights proposal passes panelLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A publicity rights proposal vetoed by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison has been revived, reworked and passed by a Senate committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced a bill that is still similar to one vetoed by Hutchinson on Tuesday. The bill doesn't contain language that the Motion Picture Association of America said was too broad and could lead to frivolous lawsuits. The original bill was filed after the fam...

Lawmakers advance constitutional amendmentsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Longer term limits for county officials, allowing the governor to retain power while traveling and removing a bonding limit are among proposed constitutional amendments that Arkansas lawmakers want to send to voters. The House and the Senate on Wednesday evening both voted to advance three proposals put forth by the Joint Committee on Constitutional Amendments. Each proposal needs approval by both chambers before appearing o...

Arkansas woman now world's oldest person, wants Obama visitLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas woman who became the world's oldest person Wednesday wants President Barack Obama to attend her 117th birthday party this Fourth of July. At 116, Gertrude Weaver was already the oldest person in America. With the death of 117-year-old Misao Okawa in Japan, Weaver became the world's oldest person, according to the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, which tracks supercentenarians. The Guinness Book of Wo...

Arkansas Children's Hospital to no longer hire smokersSmokers seeking a job this spring at the Arkansas Children's Hospital should try their luck elsewhere. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1CwqlZn ) reports employees were notified in a Monday email from the vice president of human resources Andree Trosclair that the Little Rock hospital will stop hiring smokers starting May 1. The move coincides with the implementation of the hospital's new Tobacco and Nicotine-Free Campus policy. Th...

Ex-congressman who gave Bill Clinton first defeat dies at 92LITTLE ROCK (AP) — John Paul Hammerschmidt, the longtime Arkansas congressman who defeated Bill Clinton in the former president's first race for political office, died Wednesday. He was 92. Hammerschmidt first won election to Congress in 1966 - a milestone election year for the state's Republicans. Hammerschmidt's election, and Winthrop Rockefeller's as governor, were the first for Republicans in those seats since Reconstruction. The GOP now c...

Governor urges changes to religious objection billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday called for changes to a religious objection measure facing a backlash from businesses and gay rights groups, saying it wasn't intended to sanction discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Republican governor said he wants changes to the bill that lawmakers sent him prohibiting state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a compelling inte...

Arkansas lawmakers approve lotto scholarship changesLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to cutting the amount of lottery-funded scholarships freshmen would receive and basing its eligibility solely on standardized testing starting in 2016. The Senate on Monday voted 27-2 to lower the scholarship amount incoming freshmen receive from $2,000 to $1,000 and increase the amount students receive in the second year from $3,000 to $4,000. The amounts received in later years — $4,...

Tax exemption would keep vets hereArkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said last week there’s no room in his proposed budget for additional tax cuts, but efforts will continue until the final moments of this legislative session to fund a tax exemption for military veterans who have retired. Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Jake Files said he would ask Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin to work with lawmakers to see if less than $4 million in funding was available for a proposal to exe...

Oklahoma utility faces challenges in approval of rate planOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's largest electric utility has come under fire as it asks state regulators to approve a $1 billion plan for environmental compliance and replacement generation. The proposal by Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. could raise residential customer bills 15 percent by 2019. The utility has more than 815,000 electric customers in Oklahoma and Arkansas. The request for reimbursement from customers is the company's largest. T...

Arkansas Senate panel rejects kindergarten enrollment billLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A bill to force school districts to allow some Arkansas children who narrowly miss the age requirement for starting kindergarten to enroll anyway is effectively dead. Republican Rep. Jana Della Rosa of Rogers said she doesn't plan to run the bill again after it failed to come up for a vote Monday at the Senate Education Committee. Arkansas currently requires a child to be five years old before Aug. 1 to enroll. The bil...

Arkansas House endorses drug screening for benefits billLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Some Arkansans who apply for job-training benefits and other family aid would be forced to take a drug test under a bill backed by the House. Legislators voted 69-14 Monday to support the creation of a two-year pilot program. The Department of Workforce Services would be required to question applicants and to refer people deemed as suspicious for drug testing. The change would apply to about 12,000 people in the Tempor...

Arkansas Senate rejects bid to take up foreign law banLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Senate has rejected an effort to take up legislation prohibiting judges in the state from basing any rulings on foreign laws, including Islamic Sharia law. Senators on Monday rejected by a 16-11 vote a motion to bypass the Judiciary Committee and bring the proposal directly to the floor for a vote. Pulling the bill from committee is a rarely used procedural move that requires at least 18 votes. The proposa...

Religion bill cast as anti-LGBT advances to House LITTLE ROCK — Opponents of an Arkansas "religious freedom" measure that they say will allow widespread discrimination against gays and lesbians filled the state Capitol on Monday to protest the bill as it neared a final vote. The GOP-heavy House Judiciary Committee endorsed an amended version of the proposal, which would prohibit state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a "compelling" government inter...

Budget bill boosts money for schools, prisonsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' public schools, prisons and Medicaid programs are set to receive boosts in funding while most other state agencies will see a 1 percent cut under a nearly $5.2 billion proposed state budget unveiled Friday afternoon. House and Senate leaders released the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, the budget bill that's set to go before a legislative committee Monday as lawmakers near the end of this year's session. The pr...